Drive into Spring: Routine Spring Maintenance for Your Vehicle

Spring Maintenance

It may not look like it, but spring is nearly here. And now that it’s not -30 °C, you can stand under the hood of your car for more than 30 seconds without suffering frostbite. It’s a good time to inspect your vehicle and see if the winter weather has forced any spring maintenance.

Tires

Do not wait too long to remove your winter tires. Winter tires are made of soft rubber that remains pliable in extreme cold. But when temperatures warm up, the rubber gets even softer and becomes susceptible to premature wear. But when is the right time to switch your tires?

You should put your three-season tires back on when the temperature is around seven degrees. That is usually early April, but I don’t want to come back and edit this post when global warming further erodes our average temperatures, so let’s say late March.

If you need new tires for the season, Capital GMC Service can help. We’ve got a massive selection of name-brand tires in all sizes. Use our tire finder to help find the perfect set. You should also consider using Capital GMC’s tire storage service. Our facility is temperature-controlled and low-priced. You don’t have to worry about hauling your tires out of storage, we’ll have them waiting for you when you bring your vehicle in.

Filters & Fluids

Spring is also a good time to make sure that your vehicle isn’t running short on important fluids. With an owner’s manual and moderate savvy you can check your washer fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and coolant. If you let any of these fluids run low, you can put yourself, and your vehicle, in unnecessary danger. If you bring your vehicle for an oil change at Capital GMC Service, we’ll make sure to check your fluid levels as part of our inspection.

Alignments

Over time, driving in any conditions can affect your vehicle’s alignment. And driving on ice and through snowdrifts can make those problems arise even more quickly. An improper wheel alignment causes imbalanced tire wear and will “pull” your vehicle to one side of the road, which is obviously dangerous.

Wipers

Do your wipers squeak, drag, skip, or leave huge streaks? It’s probably time to replace them. In fact, you probably should have replaced them before or during winter, but oh well. This is a pretty easy piece of maintenance you can do by yourself. If you’re shopping for wipers on your own, just make sure you measure them beforehand.

Battery

Did your battery die during the winter even though you were running your vehicle regularly? If it’s over three years old and it’s required a boost, you should think about replacing it. Bring your vehicle to Capital GMC Service and we’ll test your battery and show how much longer it can be safely be used before being replaced. Next season, you’ll be at less of a risk of being stranded.